Page 29

Chapter 29

Tobias

I'd taken the morning patrol shift driving through the areas we'd identified as potential targets for the next break-in, looking for anything suspicious. The streets were quiet, with only a few delivery trucks and early-rising joggers moving about. Nothing out of place, no suspicious vehicles or loiterers. I allowed myself one slow pass by the flower shop before Ruth opened. Even though it's in an already marked territory. I justified this by convincing myself the coffee shop on that side of town had better coffee. Did it? Not necessarily, I just felt like I needed an excuse.

Two murders and six break-ins in under two weeks. Nothing like this had ever happened in Whispering Pines, not even close. Somewhere deep in my bones, I felt worse was coming.

The station was bustling when I headed back, switching with Sang who came on shift at eleven. I planned on heading back out around closing time just to offer some extra officer presence on the streets.

I stopped by Holly's desk. She was typing furiously, phone cradled between her ear and shoulder.

"Yes, that's right. We're requesting priority processing," she was saying. "Thank you." She hung up and sighed. "Erin couldn't get a hundred percent match so she sent it to the state lab. But," Holly sighed, "they're backed up. Might be three days on the ballistics from yesterday."

"I'll call Clark," I suggested. "He owes me." I growled. "Speaking of, I have to go to the capital on Friday."

"I know, I got a reminder email with the address and your hotel information. Psychiatrist huh?"

"Not by my choosing. Clarky boy thinks I need someone to talk to."

Holly raised her eyebrows, "well, it couldn't hurt."

"Wanna bet?"

"Change of subject," Holly motioned her head towards my office. "If we get any more flowers in here, we can start our own flower shop."

I looked at her quizzically, not understanding.

She pointed toward my office. "On your desk."

Through the glass door, I could see an elaborate arrangement of deep red roses in a black ceramic vase. The contrast against my otherwise clean utilitarian desk was jarring.

"What are those?" I asked. "Who are they from?"

"I don't know, I could be wrong, but I believe they're called flowers." Holly answered. "Ruth delivered them, she said it was an odd order. They were insistent on wanting exactly eleven roses. Not a dozen. Just eleven." Holly continued, "There's a card."

I pushed open my office door, moving cautiously toward the arrangement as if it might explode. The roses were perfect, deep crimson, fully bloomed, their scent filling the room. I hesitated before reaching for the small black envelope sticking out of the arrangement. Inside was a card made of heavy stock, and written in elegant silver script:

I know you missed me.

I stared at the handwriting, the precise curves of each letter, the informality of the message.

"Holly," I called. She appeared in the doorway and I handed her the card. "Any idea who would have sent these?"

"Well, isn't that an odd thing to say."

"I have no idea who I should be missing." I walked around the arrangement. "And why eleven roses?"

"Maybe you know exactly who sent them. And maybe the eleven is because your journey hasn't started yet."

I know I looked at Holly like she'd sprouted a unicorn horn out of the middle of her forehead but I couldn't help myself. I had no idea who the flowers were from, who I was missing, nor a word Holly was saying.

"One more time in English," I said.

Rolling her eyes at me, Holly continued. "Maybe the one who delivered them is the one who you are missing?" She looked at my blank face and clapped her hands together. "Ruth, maybe Ruth misses you and hopes you miss her too."

"You've been reading those damn romance novels again, haven't you?" I took a seat in my desk chair. "Why wouldn't she just come out and say something, or sign the card?"

"So says the master communicator." Holly shook her head and left my office.

I was staring at the flowers trying to decide if they were really from Ruth when Law's name flashed on the screen of my phone.

"You get roses too?" he said before I got hello out.

There was a beat of silence. "How did you know?"

"Got a vase of eleven on my desk just now. My card says, 'I know you missed me.'"

"Shit," my voice was tense. "That's why she had two."

"Seems like it, one for each of us," Law said.

I swore again, this time under my breath. "I'm heading to Blossoms now. I need to know if Ruth saw who placed the order."

"Already thought of that. When the pretty flower shop owner delivered mine, I asked her some questions. She said she didn't know who placed the order."

"I'm going anyway." I stood before something Law said registered. "Wait, what do you mean, the pretty flower shop owner?"

"Listen, I told you if you didn't want her maybe I would ask her out."

I could tell Law was teasing but something primal was fighting its way to the surface. "Don't. Just. Don't." I said before I hung up.

I broke every speed limit between the station and Ruth's shop, my mind racing with scenarios, each worse than the last. Michael could have been there, watching her, planning to use her somehow. If he'd been in her shop, touched her counter, breathed the same air as her...

Blossoms was quiet when I arrived, only a couple of elderly customers browsing the refrigerated display. Ruth looked up from the register, her smile freezing when she saw me. Joey came from behind the counter and wiggled his way over to me.

"Sheriff?" she asked cautiously, eyes darting to the customers at her cooler.

I bent and picked up Joey. "I need to speak with you urgently." My voice was tight with controlled panic. "Official business."

Ruth nodded, came over, grabbed Joey and handed him to Mary, who looked me up and down then took over at the counter. Ruth led me toward the back room, maintaining a professional distance.

Once in the back, I closed the door behind the swinging doors.

"What's going on?" she asked once we were alone. Her stance was one of aloofness, not inviting at all. Her arms were tightly crossed. "Are you alright?"

I stood feet from her, my hands on my utility belt. "The roses you delivered to me and Law. Who ordered them?" I stepped forward. "Was he here? Did he talk to you?"

"Who? Tobias, what are you talking about?" She blinked, clearly taken aback by my intensity. "I don't know who sent them."

"RUTH! This is important. Did you talk to him?"

"Talk to who?"

I stepped forward, Ruth stepped backward. "I need to know."

"Know what? Tobias you're not making any sense."

"Why did you back away from me? Did he hurt you?" I grabbed her and spun her around looking for any marks or cuts. "Did he hurt you?"

"Stop," Ruth pulled away from me, retreating two steps farther back. "Tobias, what is going on?"

Taking a deep breath, I blew it out and asked again. "Who sent Law and I the flowers?"

"I don't know. The order came through FloralConnect, the online ordering service that distributes to local shops. There wasn't a name and it was paid for with a gift card."

"Did anyone come in to pick up the order, change it, ask about it?"

She shook her head. "No, I only knew about it when the online order came through yesterday morning for delivery today. I thought it was odd so I checked and that's how I found out they paid with a gift card. What's this about? Who are you missing?"

"Did anyone unusual come into the shop yesterday? Anyone you didn't recognize?" I pressed, scanning the back room as if Michael might be hiding behind the filing cabinet.

"Tobias, what's going on?" Ruth crossed her arms, a hint of her fiery spirit returning. "You're acting like you're interrogating me, like some kind of prisoner."

"Michael," I said simply. "The roses were from Michael."

Her eyes widened. "Michael? THE Michael? Melanie and Cameron's Michael? The one who escaped?"

"Yes. He's back. We believe he's already killed two women. And now he's sending taunting messages through your shop."

Ruth's face paled. "Oh my God."

"So, please Ruth, I need to know was he here?"

"No, Tobias, I promise he wasn't."

"Have you noticed anyone watching the shop? Has anyone been in who made you uncomfortable?"

"No, nothing like that." She moved to her computer. "Look, I can show you the order."

I followed her to the desk where her computer sat. She logged into the FloralConnect portal and pulled up the order details.

"See? Paid with a gift card, delivery instructions for both the Sheriff's Office and Bear's Bail Bonds." She scrolled down. "Special instructions: exactly eleven red roses must be delivered today."

"What kind of gift card?"

"Their system just shows it as a FloralConnect gift card. Those can be purchased online or at certain retailers."

"Untraceable," I muttered.

The bell over the shop door jingled. Law's voice carried from the front: "Where's the Sheriff?"

"Did you find anything?" Law asked, barging into Ruth's office. "Hey, Ruth."

"Online order, gift card payment. Could have been placed from anywhere," I snapped. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to check and see what Ruth knew." Law smiled at Ruth and I swore I had to fight not to shoot him.

Ruth looked between us. "Good Lord, you can cut the masculinity in this room with a knife. Are they always like this?" She looked at Ferris who laughed.

"Yep," he rolled his eyes.

"Alright, does someone want to tell me what's going on? Why would Michael Thorne send roses to both of you?"

"He's sending a message," Law said grimly. "Letting us know he's here, watching. Waiting,"

"And using your shop to do it," I added, unable to keep the edge from my voice.

Ruth's eyes flashed. "Don't blame me for this. I had no idea."

"No one's blaming you," Law assured her, shooting me a pointed look. "We're just concerned about anyone who might have contact with Michael."

"Well, I didn't. Like I've been saying the order came over the wire. And since I'm the only shop in town that's on the wire service, I'm the one who got it."

"Okay," Law motioned Ferris toward the door. "Ruth the roses are stunning. I'd hate to leave here with you thinking I can't appreciate beautiful things." He gave a small smile then he and Ferris stepped out through the door.

I walked over and closed it again.

"There's more?" Ruth asked. "Tobias, I've told you all I know."

Turning to face her I asked, "Are you dating Law?" The words flew from my mouth before I had a chance to think about what I was saying.

"WHAT?" Ruth's reaction was instantaneous. "What makes you think I would be dating him?"

Hands on hips, legs apart, eyebrows furrowed, damn, she's so cute.

"Honestly Tobias, is that what you think of me?"

Ruth's question snapped me from my observation of her cuteness back to our conversation where it sounds like I've said something wrong. Shit.

"No, not at all." My brain races through the previous conversation trying to find what I might have said to make her so upset. Assuming it was the dating Law comment I went with, "I just wanted to ask."

"You know, for a smart guy you're kind of dumb." Ruth thrust a hip to the side and I had to fight to focus on what she was saying.

"I suppose sometimes I am."

"Yeah, you are, because if I was going to date anyone it would have been you, ya dumb ass. But you don't want me. Which I think is a total lie but, I can only go with what you said that I was…"

Not wanting to hear those wretched words again I closed the distance between us and did the only thing I could think of to stop her from talking. I kissed her. Wrapping her in my arms as she did the same. Ruth and I kissed a deep passionate kiss until Ruth pulled back.

"No, not again." Her hands pushed against my chest, releasing her, she stumbled back a few feet. "I can't, I just can't."

"What's wrong?"

"I can't be your once and a while play thing. I'm not that person, Tobias."

"I don't understand." Confused, I stepped forward only to have her take another step back. Seeing her retreat from me broke my heart. Her not wanting to be next to me was something I never wanted.

"I'm not here for you to drop in whenever you want to cop a feel, or see if you're still able to get a girl off." Ruth crossed her arms. "I have fucking feelings you know."

"I know, Ruth… I"

"You know? You don't know anything." Ruth's voice was almost a yell. "You don't give a shit about my feelings. You don't care how it feels to have someone you care about tell you he's not interested in you because of how you look. Maybe what you want is for me to say thank you. Is that it? Okay, fine, thank you Tobias, for giving me two of the best orgasms I've ever had."

"Ruth, I didn't…"

"You should leave. I was working on managing my feelings for you and now you're back with your tongue down my throat. I can't, I just can't. Please go." Ruth took another step back while pointing at the door.

I stood there looking at her for a moment as the pain I've caused settled in. I never meant to do that, quite the opposite. But, now it's too late, I've hurt her, and hurt her badly.

"Ruth…"

"No," she held up her hand and shook her head. "No, please go."

I obeyed her wishes and walked to the door but with my hand on the door handle I turned and looked at her.

"We're not done talking about this." I stepped through the doorway as I thought I heard her say something about maybe she would date Law.